"Exotic Roots had a great 2023. The holiday season provided a fantastic finale, particularly for the sale of items like beans from Kenya and baby vegetables from South Africa. There's always a noticeable peak in the run-up to Christmas. Availability-wise, it wasn't the easiest few weeks for Kenyan snow peas, French beans, and sugar snaps. But, in the end, we managed to fill our regular programs well," says account manager Jonathan de Quartel.
Exotic Roots was established in the summer of 2020. The young Dutch company carries a wide range of exotic vegetables and peppers but also offers an increasingly broad assortment of exotic fruits. "More and more customers were asking us about the availability of tropical fruit," adds another account manager, Arjan Everding.
"So, last year, we focused more on imports from Ecuador and Colombia. We've grown significantly in products such as pitahaya (yellow, red, and white), granadilla, and mangosteen over the past year. They're evolving from niche exotics to more common items in our clients' ranges."
The supply of the first Colombian baby mangoes is scheduled for February. This exotic fruit has become one of Exotic Roots' assortment's main products. The company imports from 15 countries via air freight but will also increasingly focus on sea freight this year: "The first containers of cassava, eddoes, and sweet potatoes of the year are coming from Costa Rica. We'll also get Ghanain yams by sea every week," Arjan explains.
"In the early years, we mainly supplied smaller stores with smaller quantities in mixed pallets. Now, the big international wholesale players are finding us more and more. They see we can offer an extensive range of exotic vegetables, fruits and peppers, beans, and other exotics with all necessary certifications. Through short lines and the right agreements, we can deliver high-quality products year-round, as directly from the source as possible. We, thus, increasingly meet our buyers' needs," Jonathan says.
A milestone is that the company will be an exhibitor at Fruit Logistica (Hall 3.2-B-01) in Berlin for the first time this year. "We look forward to welcoming customers and suppliers and hope to speak to new and existing business partners. We have plenty of news to share, like a takeover we're currently working on. More on that later, though," hints founder Tim Struckman.
For more information:
Exotic Roots B.V.
74 Steenbakkerij
2913 LJ, Nieuwerkerk a/d IJssel, NL
+31 6 45 897 568
jonathan@exoticroots.nl
www.exoticroots.nl